Broom construction



Dec. 17, 1968 A. H. wlEsE BROOM CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 1, 1968 INVENTOR. b ALBERT h//ESE BY .w

AHORA/5y United States Patent 3,416,179 BROOM CONSTRUCTION Albert H. Wiese, Chesterfield, Mo., assignor to National Industries for the Blind, New York, N .Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 1, 1968, Ser. No. 702,463 12 Claims. (Cl. 15--171) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A broom construction -composed of a skirt portion of monoiilaments which are adhesively secured and set at their upper ends, an inner plastic insert member of generally broom shaped cross-section disposed within such skirt serving to provide resiliency and body for such filaments, and an outer cap or shroud of similar broom shape which engages over the skirt and inner plastic insert, all three elements being maintained in assembled relation by stapling. The inner plastic insert extends into the skirt portion of imonolarnents well below the lower edge of the outer cap or shroud and provides a secondary attachment -for the monotilaments by staples and broom twine.

The present invention relates to a broom construction and aims to provide certain improvements therein.

More particularly, the present invention provides a broom construction composed of a skirt portion of monolarnents which are adhesively secured and set at their upper ends, :an inner plastic insert member of generally broom shaped vcross-section disposed within such skirt serving to provide resiliency and body for such filaments, and `an outer cap or shroud of similar broom shape which engages over the skirt and inner plastic insert, all three elements being Imaintained in assembled relation by stapling.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows on its left half a front elevational view o-f the broom construction of the present invention, and on its right half an axial midsection showing underlying structure;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the broom shown in FIG. 1 taken along the lines 2-2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the outer shroud cap and the inner plastic insert forming part of the present invention before they are assembled; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the skirt of rnonolaments which -forms part of the broom construction of the present invention.

More particularly, in the drawings the broom in its broadest aspect consists of a handle 11, a shroud outer cap member 12, a skirt of monolaments 13, and an inner plastic insert member 14.

Referring first to FIG. 4 which shows in front elevation a skirt of monolarnents, it should rst be noted that such monolaments at their upper ends are adhesively joined together in circular form preferably by being dipped into a hot melt adhesive, which provides adhesively bonded upper ends 16. It will also be noted that below the adhesively bonded end portion 16 there is `a line of stitching 17. In production the line of stitching 17 is applied before the monotilaments are dipped into the hot melt adhesive.

In the preferred form of the invention the monolaunents forming the skirt 13 are formed of an extruded polyvinyl chloride plus a contaminate. The contaminate is purposely added so as to permit of shredding or tlagging of the ends of such monolaments, as is shown at 18 in the drawings.

The inner plastic insert 14, as best seen in FIG. 2, is

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disposed within the skirt portion 13. As best seen in FIG. 3 such inner plastic insert has front and rear walls 20, 21 and end walls 22, 23. It is also provided with a plurality of web members 26 which join the front and rear walls to stiffen the same. Upstanding flange 27 also serves to stiften theupper sur-face of such insert. There is also preferably molded integrally with the upper surface of such insert member a broom handle receiving portion 28 which will be discussed later in this specification.

In the preferred form of the invention the inner plastic insert member 14 should have the resiliency of low density polyethylene, and ideally should be low density polyethylene.

The third element in the broom construction is the outer shroud cap 12 which is shown in perspective in FIG. 3 and in more detail in FIGS. l -and 2. Such outer shroud cap has front and rear walls 30, 31 and side walls 32.

As will be apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 the outer shroud cap 12 is designed to be placed over the skirt 13 after the insert member 14 has been suitably located within such skirt. It will be noted from FIGS. l and 2 that the outer cap or shroud 12 above its lower edge 35 engages the upper end 16 and sewing 17 of the skirt portion 13, and also engages the upper end of the inner insert member 14. All three of these elements are held in assembled relation by a plurality of staples 36. Five such staples are shown on the front face of the broom and there is an equivalent number of staples 36a on the rear face of the broom. The outer shroud cap preferably is made of a somewhat more rigid plastic material and in its preferred form is a high density linear plastic. In commercial production high density or linear polyethylene has been found to function extremely well.

For stilening purposes the outer shroud or cap 12 has integrally molded tubes 40, 41 which are joined to the front and rear wall faces 30, 31 by web -members 42. The outer cap or shroud is also provided with a broom handle connector 45 which in its preferred form is a molded sleeve opening for receiving a broom handle.

An important feature of the present invention is that the lower edge 49 of the insert member 14 extends downwardly well within the skirt 13 and below the lower edge 35 of the outer shroud or cap 12. Another important fea-ture of the present invention is that intermediate the lower edge 35 of the shroud cap 12 and lower edge y49 of the insert member 14 there are one or more bandslof broom twine 50 which encircle the skirt monofilamehts, such broom twine bands 50 being secured in place by a plurality of staples which connect such bands 50 through the monolaments to the inner insert member 14.

In the preferred form of the invention there is also `disposed below the broom twine bands 50 and slightly above the lower edge of the insert member a line of blind stitching 56 which only connects the monofilaments together and which does not penetrate the underlying insert member.

The broom handle 11 of customary cylindrical shape is fitted into the broom connector sleeve 45 in the outer cap or shroud member. The lower end of such broom handle preferably is of reduced cross-section and slightly attened on its opposite faces so as to engage snugly in the complementally formed portion 28 of the plastic insert member 14. The handle is maintained in assembled relation with the outer cap or shroud by staples 60.

It will be understood that by having the insert member 14 extend into the skirt portion 13 well below the lower edge 35 of the shroud or cap member 12 such insert not only provides a secondary attachment for the filament by the staples 54 and by broom twine bands 50, but also provides stiffening for the filaments, necessary and desirable bulk for the broom, and a degree of resiliency which imparts to the broom the proper feel closely approximating the feel of natural iibre brooms to which housewives and other `users of brooms have become accustomed.

It will be understood that while this invention in its preferred form has been described with reference to the use of synthetic monolaments, many of the advantages of the present invention can be availed of when utilizing natural fibres instead of synthetic monoila-ments.

What I claim is:

1. A broom construction comprising:

(a) a skirt portion composed of a plurality of monoiilarnen-ts adhesively held together at their upper ends and iinmly anchored in such adhesive;

(b) an inner plastic insert disposed within such skirt portion with the monoiilaments surrounding such insert;

(c) an outer shroud cap which encompasses the monofilaments and inner plastic insert, said outer shroud cap also having a broom end connector;

(d) said inner plastic insert having spaced front, rear and end walls which extend below the lower edge of the shroud cap and within the surrounding skirt of monoiilaments;

(e) Imeans for securing :said shroud cap, said monotlarnent skirt, and said inner plastic insert together; and

(f) means for securing a handle to said outer shroud cap, whereby there is provided a monoiilament broom construction having the resiliency and feel of a natural fibre broom.

2. A broom construction according to claim 1 wherein said inner plastic insert has the resiliency of W-density polyethylene.

3. A broom construction according to claim 1 wherein the outer shroud cap has the relative stiffness of highdensity polyethylene.

4. A broom construction according to claim 1 wherein the monolarnen-ts of said skirt portion are composed of extruded polyvinyl chloride plus a contaminate and the lower ends of said monofilaments are agged.

5. A broom construction according to claim 1 having a broom handle, wherein both said outer shroud cap and said inner insert have lbroom handle receiving portions, and the portion of said broom handle which enters the handle receiving portion of the inner plastic insert member is of reduced cross-section and slightly attened on opposite sides, and such handle receiving portion of such plastic insert is complementally formed to accommodate such handle.

6. A broom construction according to claim 5 wherein said handle is connected to said outer shroud cap by staples.

7. A broom construction according to claim 1 wherein a band of broom twine encircles the skirt of monoiilaments intermediate the lower edge of the shroud cap and the lower edge of the inner plastic insert, and such encircling broom twine is stapled to such inner plastic insert.

8. A broom construction according to claim 1 wherein said outer shroud cap, said skirt of monotilaments and said inner plastic insert are maintained in assembled relation by a plurality of staples which penetrate and join together all three elements from opposite sides of such broom.

9. A broom construction according to claim 1 wherein the tips of the upper ends of the monoiilament tibres forming said skirt are fused together, and there is a line of stitching below such fused portion.

10. A broom construction according to claim 7 wherein there is a line of blind stitching encircling the monolaments below the band of broom twine.

11. A broom construction according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of web members join the front and rear walls of the plastic insert.

12. A broom construction according to claim 1 wherein said outer shroud cap has integrally formed tubular stifening members connected by web members to the front and rear walls of said outer shroud cap and spaced laterally from the handle receiving portion of such outer shroud cap.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 740,696 10/ 1903 Runkle 15-204 1,880,886 10/1932 Dittmar 15-171 3,029,455 4/ 1962 Siculan 15-171 XR 3,346,902 10/ 1967 Leventhal 15-171 PETER FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. 

